SSMB Heroes Academy: Resurgence - Episode 48: Dungeons & Dragons
by Failinhearts
Summary: (Adaptation of a private Roleplay episode!) The Skylanders having been gathered together by Nicole the Holo-Lynx to play a friendly game of Dungeons and Dragons to try and unwind after their recent adventures. However, as they prepare for a night of fun, L.O.G and crew have a devious plan in store for the Skylanders in an attempt to make yet another entertaining episode...
1. DAILY LIFE: First You Draw A Circle

This is an adaptation of the long-running Roleplay: SSMB Heroes Academy. A once public, now private collaborative writing initiative connecting multiple media to tell and expansive story.

To fully enjoy this story, the following aspects need to be kept in mind.

Resurgence, the PM Roleplay takes place after the events of SSMB Heroes Academy and SSMB Heroes Academy: Uprising, a series of 47 episodes. This series will cover all episodes. Additionally, rewrites of previous episodes will be provided overtime. As such, readings of past events is recommended to get the full experience.

There's two kinds of stories told here; Episodes (wherein the Skylanders, the group of heroes roleplayers take on the role as go on all sorts of adventures and face off against numerous threats and obstacles), and Daily Life (downtime between episodes, with more personal and low-stakes stories than featured in Episodes).

Also, because these are stories written by multiple people, there will be cases of characters suddenly vanishing and/or reappearing for no reason, and other such bumps in plots. While I've done my best to mitigate these problems during the adaptation process, I'm not perfect, and there's some things I can't fix so easily.

If you want to be a part of these stories with some of your favourite (or original!) characters, feel free to hit me up by joining the Sonic Stadium Message Board and messaging "Failinhearts" with a request to join.

SSMB Heroes Academy: Resurgence - Episode 48: Dungeons & Dragons & Also Some Despair Too!

DAILY LIFE 1: First You Draw A Circle

 _Club Penguin, Bar_

Kyubey stared at the drink Ragna bought him. He poked at it curiously, wondering what it was. All he knew was that it was shaken, not stirred. Not his wisest of choices, as evident of the constant, non-stop bubbling and overflowing. He simply leaned forward and sipped the foam.

"...This tastes weird."

Just outside the bar, Futaba Sakura and Kotone Shiome were walking together. Both Alisa and Dante had called them over with regards to somethng they discovered - an unfamiliar face on the island, unlike anything either of them had seen before. It wasn't long before the Persona users met up with them.

"Hello, you're both just in time," Alisa greeted the two. "Do any of you know what this creature is?"

The creature Alisa was talking about was round and pink, with thick pudgy feet and rosy red cheeks. It looked on at the group that surrounded it, but it stood its ground calmly, albeit with a confused expression on its face. Dante and Kotone didn't know who it was or if it was dangerous, but Futaba seemed to recognise it immediately.

"No way! There's another one here!" She was visibly excited, which only confused the other three. The pink creature found her joy infectious, and started smiling, clapping and jumping for joy with Futaba.

"Hahaaa!" Its voice was high pitched, and judging by Alisa and Dante's reaction, it seemed to be the first time it made any kind of noise.

"Hee hee," Futaba sniggers as the creature stood next to her, copying her mannerisms while she addressed the others. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Kirby!"

"Hi!"

 **NEWCOMER: KIRBY**

Cheerful and innocent, this strange pink puffball hails from a planet called Pop Star, and has protected it and the galaxy from numerous threats. Kirby is familiar to some Skylanders, but this one seems different. He doesn't speak, but merely makes grunts, groans and other nonsensical sounds. Despite his innocent appearance, he is also fearless and bold when an objective or threat is in sight. He can also be easily motivated by food...

His main ability is to inhale an enemy and copy their power so he can use it himself. Whatever ability he obtains, he is able to master it instantly.

Dante, Alisa and Kotone had no idea what to say to this pink ball. That issue would become moot as Kirby seemed to stop mimicking Futaba. Having noticed something, he stared off into the distance, thinking despite his blank expression. After a second, he sprinted away from the others, leaving them totally bewildered.

Futaba was curious, so she followed him. "Ha, I bet he smells something tasty," she said, catching up to Kirby. "I could totally go for something to eat right about now, too..."

The two dashed through the landscape, passing Mikan and Tron sleeping soundly on a bench out in the town centre. Eventually, Kirby made it to the entrance of the Coffee Shop, his supposed destination. He pushed the door open and waddled inside.

"The Coffee Shop?" Futaba asked out loud, stepping inside. "Good choice, it smells like Joker."

Credits:

Roleplay created by:  Failinhearts and Crow the BOOLET

Adapted by: Spin Attaxx

Episode written by:  Polkadi~ 

Failinhearts: Kyubey (original, based on Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

DanJ86: Futaba Sakura (Persona 5), Kotone Shiome (Persona 3: Portable), Alisa (God Eater), Dante (Devil May Cry)


	2. DAILY LIFE: After-Battle Maintenance

SSMB Heroes Academy: Resurgence - Episode 48: Dungeons & Dragons & Also Some Despair Too!

DAILY LIFE: After-Battle Maintenance

 _Club Penguin, Tails' Workshop_

With a small snort, Tails woke up from his nap. Looking down, he noticed droll on his desk's surface.

"Wow. Pretty unprofessional of me," the Sentinel groaned, wiping the drool off with his glove. Turning around, he noticed Chi was still there, waiting to be tended to. It appeared he was in some sort of sleeping state too. But not for long.

Chi soon came out of standby mode, and checked his systems for any irregularities. Nothing out of the ordinary, it seemed. Looking around, he saw the Sentinel fox sitting by his desk. "Hey, Tails," Chi said, trying to get his attention, "...how's the repair coming along?"

"So far so good, I suppose," Tails explained. "Aside from the odd nap in-between." The fox then hopped off his seat and walked around his igloo, adjusting his family photos.

"That's... good," Chi replied, though with some hesitation. "Not gonna lie, staying in one place all day gets dull real fast." He then took notice of the photos in the igloo. They did stand out a little compared to everything else in the workshop. "Is... that your family?" he asked, referring to the others in one particular photo.

"Yeah. Me, Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, Amy, Cream, Blaze, and..." Tails paused for a moment, looking forlorn for a brief moment. "...Yeah. That's my family. You saw them before, dude."

"Right, I did..." said Chi, feeling embarrassed. "...Sorry. I do recall seeing them before, but... it's fuzzy. Like a fractured memory." The robot couldn't tell why this was happening. Perhaps it was due to the repairs, or a failsafe of sorts, or something else entirely. Either way, it didn't help him feel any better.

Tails gave a sigh of relief. "It's fine. I figured your memory banks might be a little jumbled," he said, using Chi's comment as a means of changing the subject. He tapped the robot's head as a means of expression, and said, "Don't worry, I can fix it up soon."

"That's a relief," Chi said as Tails picked up his Utility Wrench. "I wouldn't want to forget about..." He paused before he could properly finish his sentence, staying silent for a moment. He let Tails do what he needed to do, but eventually he spoke up again. "...Do you miss them? The other Sentinels?"

"Hm?" Tails asked, twitching his ear. "You're making it sound like I haven't seen them in a long time. As a Disciple, we meet every day. I'm just juggling between two jobs." With an empathetic sigh, he added, "Guess I can't say the same for some of the other Skylanders here."

The robot went silent again for a moment. He had nothing else to discuss - at least, nothing that he wanted to discuss - so he decided to drop the subject. "...Forget I asked. Just wake me up when you're done," Chi muttered, before switching to standby mode.

"Alright. Let's get back to work," Tails muttered to himself. Turning to his family photos, he saw all the siblings he mentioned there. And yet that, for some reason, left him hung up. With a click of his tongue, he went back to work.

Credits:

Roleplay created by:  Failinhearts and Crow the BOOLET

Adapted by: Spin Attaxx

Failinhearts: Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog (Sentinels))

NegaMetallix Chi (original, based on Sonic the Hedgehog)


	3. DAILY LIFE: Romance & Reports

SSMB Heroes Academy: Resurgence - Episode 48: Dungeons & Dragons & Also Some Despair Too!

DAILY LIFE: Romance & Reports

 _Club Penguin - Coffee Shop_

"So, what do you want of me?" Blaze the Cat asked. She was sitting opposite Silver, who up till now had been relatively calm and composed. Everything up to this point seemed so smooth in his head, but as he felt the edges of a wrapped gift box poking his back, he was starting to get nervous.

"O-oh, I-I was just, uh..." Silver took a deep breath, and managed to calm his nerves. "W-well, I was hoping to give you something..."

"Oh?" The princess's demeanour shifted from stoic to interested. He already gave her the Jewelled Sceptre, what more could Silver give? "...is that so?"

Silver nodded back, before showing Blaze the wrapped up gift. His nervousness now fully on display, he started explaining himself; "Here. I-I've been wanting to make something for you, to say thanks for being here… a-and for sticking by us all this time. I imagine it couldn't have been easy to do so, especially after what happened recently. But... it means a lot to me that you stayed. S-so I thought about making a gift for a good friend of mine..."

"A-are you saying... that you... u-uh..." Blaze stumbled on her words, as she began blushing. Never before did she expect this from Silver! She was beginning to shrink away as a result, and the hedgehog was taking notice.

Uh-oh. Now poor Silver was starting to go pale from nervousness! He needed to act now, before things took a horribly awkward turn.

"H-huh?! W-wait, i-it's not-!" he blurted out, before stopping mid-sentence. Oh, this was a bad idea, he thought to himself, now feeling beyond embarrassed. "I-I wasn't trying to say that I... y-you know... I mean, it's not that I..." he muttered, before sighing. Looking away for a moment, the hedgehog tried to give an explanation.

"I-I know it sounds strange to say this, since... well, we haven't known each other that long. But..."

Silver paused, then turned to face Blaze again. "...Whenever I'm with you, I get this feeling inside. Like a sense of... familiarity, I guess? I-I don't know why, but... sometimes, I feel like we've known each other for... longer than we really do."

He looked down at the gift. "That's... why I decided to get you something today. It just... it felt like the right thing to do..." he said, offering it to Blaze. Deep down, he was already starting to regret his explanation, but it was the only thing he could think to say at that moment. All he could do now, was wait and see how she took it...

Blaze sat silently for a moment, her blush fading. "...Huh, that's funny..." she replied, tapping her chin. "I've had that same feeling." Taking the gift, she said, "The very first time we met, it was by pure coincidence. Yet I, too, had the same feeling that I've known you since forever, despite the fact that there would be no chance we'd ever know each other. I never understood it."

"You... you have...?" Silver asked, utterly shocked to hear what Blaze said. "...Heh. I guess that makes two of us, then..." he added, rubbing the back of his head while smiling.

Smiling at their similar thoughts, Blaze unwrapped her gift to see what was inside. It was a lilac chain necklace, with seven gems embedded into it. Each one was shaped and coloured like the Sol Emeralds she swore to protect, and their gleam beautifully matched the metallic sheen of the chain.

"D-do you like it?" Silver asked, his hands hopefully clasped together. "I'll admit, I had some help making it. But, I wanted to make it one-of-a-kind..."

Blaze the Cat sat in total silence, unable to process how best to respond to Silver's gift, sitting there in her hands. Unfortunately for Silver, even he didn't know how to respond, either. What else could he say? And so, an awkward silence draped itself over the two.

As the silence went on, it was rather clear Silver didn't have anything else to say. To clear the air, Blaze spoke up. "I never thought you'd care so much for me like this. It actually surprises me." Once she put the necklace around her neck, her right hand wrapped around Silver's left as she smiled. "You really are a good friend." The smile was genuine with Blaze's heart touched inside, knowing that someone truly and soulfully cares for her in her lonely world.

"I... I am?" Silver replied. To hear her say this was inspiring for him, and a bright smile rose on his face. "Thanks, Blaze. It... means a lot to hear you say that," he said to her, as the princess got up from her seat.

Turning to say farewell, Blaze says to the hedgehog, "I will see you around, Silver." She walked off towards the exit, leaving Silver feeling happy with himself, and for Blaze.

Wandering around looking for food, Kirby noticed a small creature sitting quietly on a table. It was a Puffle, relaxing in the coffee aroma surrounding it. Mistaking it for food, he swallowed it whole.

"Ueh..." The taste led Kirby to believe that this wasn't food, so he promptly spat it back out. The Puffle looked rather rattled by its experience.

Some time after Silver had left the Coffee Shop for some fresh air, Makoto Niijima ran down to the ground floor, flustered and carrying several books and various pages. As she did so, she was muttering a checklist to herself.

"Gotta get some supplies, start drawing up connections between these cases... suggest to the leaders here to gather newspapers from other universes... make sure Futaba hasn't suffered any shutdown symptoms..." She began walking towards the exit, but she almost bumped into Futaba, who was entering the shop herself.

"Eh? Oh, hey. Makoto, are you alright?" Futaba asked. "Are you in a hurry? Do you need my help?" She wasn't sure what Makoto had been doing, but it seemed like it was important.

"Oh! Futaba! I was just on my way to find you!" Makoto said, ignoring the various papers flying off her, dropping them entirely and quickly touching Futaba's forehead.

"Have you been feeling any kind of sickness or headache? Anything to indicate Mental Shutdown?" she asked, worried slightly.

"Huh? Oh...I-I'm fine, really. Just got a minor case of Joker withdrawal. Heehee." Despite her light hearted joke to try and ease Makoto's worries, Futaba's expression darkened at the very mention of Mental Shutdowns. "...Y-You found something?"

"...Mental Shutdowns?" asked a different Makoto - this one named Makoto Naegi. He didn't like the sound of this thing, whatever it was.

The female Makoto nodded, as she picked up a few papers. "Yes. I had been doing research on this Aku person running the school; he isn't trustworthy, and I just know he's up to something. But when I was looking through the archives for other universes, I found cases of mental shutdowns. From experience, usually it's a rogue thief who manipulates a being's heart... but only the Phantom Thieves should have the ability to enter palaces back. We don't know who could be doing such a thing. But when someone breaks down...they usually try to harm others."

Makoto shook his head, Niijima's explanations going over his head. "Rogue Phantom Thief? Heart manipulation? L-Let's start from square one, I'm kinda confused, here!"

Niijima gave a slightly exasperated look, realizing she never actually explained what she and Futaba do. The latter decided to step back and let Niijima explain everything.

"Erm...well you see, Futaba and I's powers are to enter a reality that's different from our own. Entering the corrupted hearts of people - those with twisted desires given form in a palace. Phantom Thieves enter a palace and steal its treasure in order to change the hearts of those people. But we've tangled with a rouge thief before, who killed Shadows and caused total mental breakdowns. This...could be similar."

"I wish I had that power long ago..." Makoto huffed, folding his arms. With that potential, I would've been able to stop Junko from starting the Tragedy... "So you're saying one of your kind is out causing trouble?"

Niijima nodded, showing several news reports to Futaba and Makoto, all of them mentioning a Mental Shutdown and someone going crazy in all of them. "Whoever this is, it's a rouge thief, and he could infiltrate anyone," she warned the two. "Let's just hope no one here has distorted desires..." She began thinking over things, before thinking of possible targets, the leading one being an orange ottsel who seemed to fit perfectly as someone who'd have a distorted Palace.

"Distorted desires..." Futaba mused, thinking things over. "Speaking of strange creatures, there was one on that last mission... he was black, and flies around, and he didn't seem interested in saving that dimension. But I don't know if he's dangerous, he seemed to hang around Jessica most of the time."

Makoto put his fingers on his chin, thinking over possible suspects himself. "Well, I have my suspicions about Homura, but she hasn't done anything outright terrible yet." Of course, he didn't want to think Homura would do what she was meant to do... although, he always had this speck of doubt he wanted to wipe away.

"That Batman guy..." Niijima commented, thinking about the shadowy vigilante she knew little about. "I worry he might have pretty twisted desires. He seems to have had a harsh life..."

"Oh, him? I don't see that coming from him," Makoto said, scratching his head.

"For now... it doesn't appear to be an immediate threat, but we should do our best to monitor things... if that's alright," Niijima added, realising she'd need permission for her plan. Makoto merely responded with a shrug, allowing her to do as she wished.

While pondering, a possibility popped into Futaba's head that gave her pause for concern. "D-Do you think this bad thief is hiding within the Skylander ranks?" she asked both Makotos. It was a random theory and they had no evidence to suggest that to be true, but it didn't stop her from worrying about it.

Niijima took a brief second to think over everybody. While a lot of suspicious figures stood out in her mind, she shook her head. "I'm not sure Futaba, it would be difficult for the mastermind of the breakdowns to operate within our own ranks." She clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth, and added, "Still, we should be careful. We've both dealt with our fair share of traitors, especially after Joker's imprisonment."

Credits:

Roleplay created by: Failinhearts and Crow the BOOLET

Adapted by: SpinAttaxx

Episode written by: Polkadi~

NegaMetallix: Silver the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Polkadi~ : Blaze the Cat (Sonic the Hedgehog)

DanJ86: Kirby (Kirby), Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)

Ryannumber1gamer: Makoto Niijima (Persona 5)

Failinhearts: Makoto Naegi (Danganronpa)


	4. DAILY LIFE: Training & Training

SSMB Heroes Academy: Resurgence - Episode 48: Dungeons & Dragons & Also Some Despair Too!

DAILY LIFE: Training & Teaching

 _Club Penguin - Dance Club_

"Hyah! Ha! Atcha!"

Sayaka Miki, already up and at 'em, was training atop the Dance Club roof. A group of Java Bean bags flew above the swordswoman, all held up by balloons in traditional Club Penguin fashion. She was throwing her swords at the bags as target practice, without even turning to see the bags themselves. After a flurry of attacks, only a few bags remained.

"Damn. So close," Sayaka grumbled, gritting her teeth at the number of misses.

Unbeknownst to her, trainee Skylander Daniel was close by, and noticed the out of place balloons floating above the roof. "Is it someone's birthday?" he thought out loud. His voice of doubt - ripped from his subconscious, manifested in his DEUS wristwatch, and named Dave - sarcastically provided an answer.

"Trillions of lifeforms within trillions of dimensions... it's bound to be the anniversary of one of them today." The comment fell on deaf ears, as Daniel wandered over to have a closer look. As he did, more balloons appeared to replace the fallen, and after a second attempt, Sayaka successfully popped all of them. Satisfied, the Magical Girl hopped off the roof and landed in the snow, the high fall not even fazing her. The noise was something of a shock to Daniel, who was just about to enter the Dance Club.

"Two tries. New record, I suppose." She dusted herself off before reverting from her Magical Girl attire back to her standard casual outfit. Her back was turned to Daniel, who was now very anxious. He wanted to talk to her, he could try doing so now, but he was very hesitant.

Several feet away, Aspen noticed Sayaka landing to the left of him. As usual, the teenage romantic mandrake was interested in striking up a conversation with a girl... but he'd been told by his sister that his advances and pick-up lines were un-gentlemanly and only served to spook girls rather than interest them. After thinking on it, he figured that Ashlyn was right. But he still had the desire to strike up a conversation. Straightening out the pompador-like leaves on his head, he approached Sayaka with a grin. Daniel was left feeling jealous - he was making talking to her look so easy...

"Hey, Sayaka! I had a feeling you came from heaven, because- uh..." _Shit shit shit... I'm flirting. Shiiiiiiit,_ he mentally panicked. He needed a save, and fast. "Uh. I mean. Erm. You know... You have cool powers and you had to have gotten them from a strong being? Heh heh." Phew. Nice one, Aspen! He mentally patted himself on the back, unaware that his save was incredibly awkward.

Sayaka was somewhat taken aback by Aspen's comments. "Like, yeah, I came from some kind of heaven, but uh..."

Daniel could only just hear what was being said, and his emotions were running wild. The anger, the pain, the sorrow... he was quietly struggling to maintain them all so suddenly. Dave knew exactly what was going on in his head, and had no problem voicing that.

"Are you serious? So you like her all of a sudden? Haven't you read the memo? She's died once before, I don't have to remind you what it was like to lose those you care about to death, do I? And check out the plant boy, he seems to be a natural at this talking thing... kind of. You're nothing compared to the competition, only doom awaits you by going down this road!"

For all his sarcasm, condescension and general cynicism, he sounded serious this time. His words hit harder than any blow from a super villain ever could, so Daniel chose to shuffle away quietly before he was noticed.

Meanwhile, Aspen stood around awkwardly, trying to figure out what else to say. He looked around to see bags of coffee laying around. "I see you're training your sword skills," he observed. "Not a big fan of coffee?"

"Yeah, I've been training," Sayaka explained. "They have a bunch of bags that penguins usually use for a ton of junk, so I might as well use them." Abruptly, a scream of horror sounded out behind the pair.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Sayaka turned to the sound of the scream, and exclaimed, "W-What the hell?!" She ran off, Aspen following close behind.

Before long, Sayaka caught up to Dan - his attempt to leave quietly had gone horribly wrong, and he was beside a body laying in the snow. It was white, and as such blended in well with it. "Hey, what's going on?" Sayaka asked, confused at the situation.

"...Well, I...wah!" While he had calmed down, Daniel was visibly shaken a second time when he noticed Sayaka joining him on checking the body. His face turned completely red, and he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. The body, meanwhile, twitched and gradually stood back up, Dan's scream bringing them around. It soon turned out to be White Bomberman.

"Err...huh? Wha?" Bomberman groaned. He gradually got back up, but his movements seemed erratic. "Energy levels at... critical..." While he was able to get back to his feet, the screen that usually displayed his eyes was only showing static. Aspen was surprised to see Bomberman laying in the snow like that, and he couldn't help but wonder what happened to him.

Daniel, despite his anxiety, tried to tell Sayaka what he found. "Erm...I-I just found Bomberman laying in the s-snow. I-It was a nasty shock, I...I think maybe he's been overworking, he doesn't seem to be acting normal." Proving Daniel's point, Bomberman stumbled backwards and fell into a seated position in the snow, showing no sign of recovering. Daniel recalled that Bomberman had earlier explained how he uses items to maintain his health, but hadn't seen any since joining up with the Skylanders.

Giving the white robot a look-over, Sayaka said, "I could heal him... I think. I've never healed someone like him before." Closing her eyes and holding her arms out, she attempted her healing spell. Watching her work, Daniel was once more smitten with her, and began uttering to himself obliviously.

"Aww, she's so amazing a-and cute and reliable and kind and..."

"Good grief," Dave sighed. While the healing process was slow, it appeared to have some effect. As Bomberman's eyes returned to normal, he seemed to be aware what was going on, but was unable to speak.

"..." Bomberman tried to express his gratitude, but with his voice box still loading, and no real face to show any emotions, it was tricky.

Sayaka merely sighed in relief at Bomberman's semi-recovery. "At least I got one success today."

While Bomberman took a moment to recover, Daniel approached Sayaka in concern. Gently tapping her shoulder, he asked, "H-Have you had a b-bad day? I'm h-here if you w-want to talk..."

"It's fine. Training just didn't go well."

Aspen was similarly relieved to see his ally working again, and as soon as Bomberman's eyes opened, he kneeled down to the robot and smirked. "Yo, buddy! Nice to see you're back with us in the land of the living!" he chuckled. "Nah, but seriously pal, you okay? What happened?"

"Ugh..." Bomberman managed to mutter a sound as a reply to Aspen while he regained his bearings. "I... I fear I may have been overexerting myself... without proper recovery time, my power supply diminished to such a state that I... passed out. I'm simply not used to working in this environment before... I usually have items on hand to keep my energy levels at optimal capacity."

Sayaka's healing powers seemed to give White Bomber a recharge that gave him the strength to recover for now. "As long as I take things easy, my power should recover on it's own now. You have my thanks for assisting me," he addressed Sayaka, not really aware of the footprints on his back when Daniel accidentally walked on him.

"It's no problem," Sayaka replied with a smile. "Glad to help."

Bomberman seemed satisfied and sat down on the snow covered ground to recover some more. The cold temperature having no effect on him meant he was reasonably comfortable. Daniel, on the other hand, had just thought of a wild idea and blurted it out before thinking it over.

"So you're a perfectionist?" he asked Sayaka. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, you carry a heavy burden. I know! Perhaps you could train me? I'll call you sensei and I could help you out will your jobs, I don't mind...I-in fact I rather l-like the idea of... staying by your side..." Realising what he'd said, his fidgeting only grew worse.

Aspen lifted an eyebrow at Dan's question. Did he have a crush on Sayaka? This was news to him... Smirking once again, he walked next to Dan and patted him on the back, having an idea for how he could help him win Sayaka over.

"Hey, sounds like a good idea to me! You have some pretty good skills, it wouldn't hurt to pass it on to others!" Aspen chuckled, "What do you think, Sayaka?"

"Training? Well... I'm not really a teacher," Sayaka replied, scratching her head. "Honestly, I'm still kind of a student. Sonic's the expert, here! Eheh..." she laughed sheepishly. She then looked down, an unsure look in her eyes. It was clear that Sayaka had never done anything like this before. This left Daniel feeling guilty; he wanted to ease her burdens, not add to them. Every fibre of his being was telling him to flee, his anxiety was at a pretty high level now.

"Gee... I-I'm terribly sorry...w-what was I thinking? Heh... heh... y-you must have better things to do and I'd just be in your way... n-never mind, I'll find some other way to help you without being a burden, I-I-I promise..." He slowly backed away from Sayaka and Aspen in an attempt to retreat, but had forgotten about Bomberman - whom he managed to trip over before he could make a clean getaway.

"Gah!" Dan exclaimed before falling face first into the snow. "Crap...why can't I do anything right...?"

"Swing and a miss!" His DEUS finally chose to chime in, but Dan didn't react. He just remained lying down in the snow... which was rapidly melting from the heat generated from his embarrassed face.

"Hey, hey, heeey! I didn't say I said no!" Sayaka said to Dan. "I mean, I need to learn how to train others if I am to be a good Disciples leader someday and all." With that, she shrugged. "Guess we could give this a try."

"Huh? R-Really?" Having heard Sayaka's reply, Daniel staggered back to his feet with a goofy smile across his face. "I-I promise I won't let you down!" he enthusiastically declared.

Sayaka nodded, although inside she started to feel uneasy. She never trained anyone before, so this is something that might just fail. Clicking her tongue, she pushed those thoughts aside. _This is no time to act like that,_ she thought.

Credits:

Roleplay created by: Failinhearts and Crow the BOOLET

Adapted by: SpinAttaxx

Episode written by: Polkadi~

Failinhearts: Sayaka Miki (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

DanJ86: Daniel, Dave (original), White Bomberman (Bomberman)

Emperor Robrainiac: Aspen (original)


	5. DAILY LIFE: The Mystery of Ultraviolet

SSMB Heroes Academy: Resurgence - Episode 48: Dungeons & Dragons & Also Some Despair Too!

DAILY LIFE: The Mystery of Ultraviolet

 _Club Penguin, Town_

 _Ultraviolet..._ Madoka thought to herself, still hung up on Voidica's other self. She was totally alone as she pondered about her, while sitting on a bench. She could relate so much to her... if only she were able to understand her more.

 _I can't even imagine what Ultraviolet is going through. Can she even feel herself changing forms or not?_ So many questions and doubts flooded her head.

 _Club Penguin - Forest_

In the outskirts of the forest, Lumina and Voidica were taking a walk together. Both of them were trying to get their minds off of the recent happening with Ultraviolet, and the former believed a casual stroll around the island would help.

"It's nice out today, isn't it?" Lumina asked, flipping her large ponytail behind her.

"Oh, yes!" Voidica replied, smiling cheerfully. "Though, it's a shame I hardly ever see Jessica out on days like this..."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Lumina giggled. "She's always been something of a quasi-vampire. Total shut-in, complete dislike of sunshine and summer..."

Folding her arms as she followed her friend, Voidica wondered if maybe Jessica could see otherwise someday. Ironically, despite meeting with Madoka just recently, the two happened to come across her close friend.

Her far less pleasant best friend.

Eyeing the two, Homura simply nodded to acknowledge their presence. "Hello."

"Hello!" Voidica cheerfully replied, waving back happily. She was far more welcoming than Homura was, and almost totally oblivious to her cold demeanour. Lumina knew she - somehow - was even more antisocial than Jessica, but figured it wouldn't hurt to at least try to start up a conversation.

"So, what are you doing all the way out here?" she asked, not expecting a particularly deep reply. Voidica, meanwhile, was starting to notice how similar she looked to Jessica, making her innocent smile all the wider.

"Nothing of importance," Homura replied, performing her trademark hair flip. "Just some small exploration." She then peered down at the pair, glaring down at them like a suspicious hawk. "What about you two?" she asked. "I saw you and Madoka together recently ...what were you doing?"

"Oh, we were just talking about... things," Lumina replied, her gut silently wrenching anxiously over Homura's leery nature. "N-Nothing to do with her, mind, it's about... a friend of Voidica's, you could say."

Even Voidica felt uneasy with the way Homura was looking at her, but she still tried to remain optimistic. "Y-Yes, Miss Homura, it's true!" she said. Taking a quick look at her Limit Gem - stored in a small pocket void - she saw it was still dim from its recent use. "I'd introduce you to her, but, um... she's kind of tired at the moment," she replied, timidly tapping her index fingers together.

Homura's eyes narrowed even further. "You're not good at lying, are you?" She coldly replied. Although the two weren't technically lying, they weren't telling the whole truth, either. And Homura could see right through them, as if she had x-ray vision.

"What - us? Lie to anyone, let alone you?" Lumina scoffed, masking her discomfort with a veil of jest. "You must be joking! I mean, Voidica always tells the truth, right?" she asked, turning her head to the small grey girl.

"...oh! Um, y-yes, Miss Homura!" Voidica nodded quickly. She was less skilled at hiding her feelings of panic and dread, but she tried to muster up a decent effort. "I-I swear, I haven't told you anything untrue, or-or false, or made up..." Even though she was telling the truth, her stammering and worried eyebrows convinced Homura otherwise.

"If you're not lying, then... what are you hiding?"

Voidica's little heart - or what passed for one in Elementals - felt as if it would explode with how fast it was beating. The only thing that kept that glare from haunting her any further was that it wasn't from someone who actively wanted her dead. At least, she hoped she didn't.

Noticing how frightened Voidica was, Lumina's own unease at Homura's interrogative nature vanished in an instant. "H-Hey, why does she need to tell you anything?!" she demanded. Almost instantly, a wave of regret crossed her mind, but before any consequences played out, Voidica cracked.

"IJUSTWANTEDTOSHOWMISSMADOKATHISGEMANDTHERE'SSOMEONEINSIDEMEANDIDON'TKNOWTHEMPLEASEDON'THURTMEEEEEEEEEE!" As Voidica blurted out her confession, her eyes clamped shut and her body flinching, a small rip in the air opened up, dropping Voidica's still de-energised Limit Gem onto the snow.

Homura continued glaring at Voidica silently. With a sigh, her glare eventually eased up. "Alright. That's all I needed to know," she said calmly.

Voidica opened one eye carefully, looking up at Homura, worried that she was going to do something bad to her. Well... she certainly made an impression on the (relatively) young Elemental. She'd probably never see Jessica the same way again...

Lumina picked up the Limit Gem and handed it back to Voidica, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's OK," she calmly said, "she said she got what she wanted to know." She leaned closer and whispered into Voidica's ear; trying to stay out of Homura's hearing range. "She's absolutely spooky, I know, but she really doesn't want to hurt us."

Voidica just tried to look away from the tall, dark-haired girl, her gaze still fresh in her mind.

Looking down at the grey girl, Homura noticed the Limit Gem. "...So you say you have someone else in your head and that gem lets her out?" she asked, her voice noticeably softer, as trying to slightly shed off her more threatening first impression.

"Y-Yes, I suppose..." Voidica trembled. Her scared eyes swiftly turned to Lumina, their gaze begging her for help explaining this.

Casually making lines in the snow with her boot's gold toe, Lumina looked up at Homura. "The long and short of it is, this gem lets you unlock a past form of you, or something like that," she said, clearly just as confused by what it did as Voidica. "And now, it turns out there's this 'other side' to Voidica, this other being that we've never known about for all this time. Not just another personality, but a wholly different Elemental."

Homura scowled at the mere mention of reawakening past selves, her own self being one she'd prefer dead and buried in the mists of time. "I see. So you don't know where she came from?"

Both girls shook their heads in near-perfect synchronisation. Voidica held up the dim gem, and added, "W-we think only she knows, b-but we let her out earlier... and it'll be a while before we c-can let her out again..."

Lumina sighed, and fiddled with her hair - similar to how Jessica often did. "We're not even too sure if she _does_ know. When one of them is out, the other disappears completely, and when we talked to her just now, he said she didn't even have a name. Madoka decided to call her 'Ultraviolet'."

"A nice name," Homura said with a small smile. Neither one knew if Homura said so because it was legitimately a good name... or just because Madoka thought of it. "Regardless, this does make things rather complex regarding you and what secrets your other self holds," she told Voidica.

"No kidding," Lumina pouted. As much as she wanted to know the truth, she wasn't in any rush to find out.

Voidica put the gem back in its small void, smiling at Homura's thoughts on Ultraviolet's name. Deep down, however, she still felt dirty. "I... I feel like someone who's stolen someone else's body," she confessed, "b-but I don't even know who's body was stolen by whom anymore..."

Homura tilted her head, mulling over the situation. "Perhaps you two could form some kind of mutual, symbiotic relationship with the other." She stroked her chin for a while, before asking, "Have you consulted Tails on the matter?"

Voidica tilted her own head, mimicking Homura's actions like a curious puppy. She never really thought to ask him - he always seemed more like Ivorn, someone more interested in technology and mechanics than magic. And lasers, but Ivorn wasn't nearly so keen on them. "D-Do you really think he can help?" she asked. Difficult as it was for her to believe, she found herself opening up to Homura more than she thought she would.

"Potentially," Homura mused, folding her arms. "I'm certain he has the technology to enable communication between the both of... yourselves. After all, from what I can remember from briefings, the Sentinels are masters of magic and technology. Tails did make Scourge, after all." She explained further while gazing up at the treetops, "There was this other experiment he did with magic energy, however. But that's all I can say on the matter or I'll get scolded."

The pair looked to each other, both thinking the same thing: what did they have to lose? Not a lot. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is right now, would you?" Lumina asked. She had her doubts that Sentinel tech would work on Elementals in such a way as what Homura described, but she'd take anything to give Voidica some peace of mind.

"Last time I checked, he was at his igloo for the past few hours. Chances are, he's still there. I'm sure he can do something for you, as much as I'd hate to admit. After all, he managed to work out things such as Grief Seed anaylsis. If he can work with my magic, he could work with yours."

Homura proceeded to walk along the snowy field, signalling Lumina and Voidica to follow her. Smiling, Voidica followed Homura with Lumina accompanying her. She was more optimistic about Tails's capability than Lumina was. "I can't wait to actually talk to Miss Ultraviolet myself!" she cheered, hoping that the mysterious Elemental did indeed have no animosity towards her.

"Just... try not to be disappointed if things don't work out, OK?" Lumina asked, fiddling with her gloves. It wasn't often that she didn't see the positive side of things, but when it came to the possibility of her having been lifelong friends with someone who wasn't even themselves all that time...

 _...no. Don't think like that._

 _/Club Penguin - Tails' Workshop/_

Eventually, the three arrived at Tails' igloo, where they explained the situation to the fox. Chi sat inactive, his repairs still in progress.

"...You want me to do what, exactly?"

Homura pointed at Voidica's Limit Gem, held by its owner in her hand. "I want you to use this to enable Voidica and this Ultraviolet character to speak to another."

Tails took his hands off his keyboard, where its connected computer was decrypting Chi's memory. He observed the Limit Gem, and cautiously said, "You're referring to a Mutual Soul Resonance? I've... never done something like that before." Turning around, he hummed slightly while thinking. "Then again, I was the one that enabled Sayaka and Oktavia to co-exist as seperate yet connected entities. If I can somehow rework the formula so it can work on a solely mental plane, then maybe..."

"You mean, both minds will be active in one body at all times?" Lumina asked, not entirely sure of what Tails was talking about. But whatever it was, it sounded rather... permanent.

Voidica didn't quite understand it either, but she started feeling anxious. "S-So, we'll both be trying to control a body that's not even ours?" she asked, rapping her fingers on the Limit Gem. Suddenly, ceasing to exist until you were allowed to exist again didn't seem quite so bad.

"What?!" Tails's eyes widened. "Oh, no! I'm just saying that I was able to get two of the same person to exist seperately. If I was able to do that, I should be able to have people in their head to interact no problem. Essentially, I can put you into a sleep for a while, kickstart your other self and you two can communicate in a dream-like state. Basically you'll have access to your subconscious for the duration of your sleep."

Voidica let out a sigh of relief. "Oh... that's not so bad," she said.

Lumina was just as happy to have that concern off her chest as well. "So, is there a way we can talk to Ultraviolet as well, or at least see and hear her conversations with Voidica?" she asked Tails.

"Hmm... you, know maybe," the fox Sentinel thought. "If I can rig Voidica to one of my machines, I can translate her individual brainwaves into readable text." He snapped his fingers. "That's it, I'm set. Let's give 'er a whirl whenever you're ready!" He declares with an excited chuckle.

"Sure thing! Where do I go, Mister Tails?" Voidica asked, standing as tall and confidently as she could. Unfortunately, being an Elemental (an Elemental with the proportions and mentality of an eight year old girl, at that) she ended up wobbling on her tiptoes in her attempt to look tall. Still, Lumina admired her commitment to go through with this.

Tails looked at his DEUS. "Gimmie a moment," he said, opening up a portal before jumping inside it.

"If this works, maybe we could try and get a setup that displays video results!" Lumina suggested, smiling eagerly.

After a couple minutes, Tails returned from the portal with a chair. Wired to it was a helmet. "Alright, I've used this before to read and copy brain functionality... for reasons. This'll do for you. I can easily rig this to the computer. We just need to do one more thing; how much juice does that have?" he asked, pointing at the Limit Gem.

Voidica looked down at it; it had regained a fair bit of its power by now, and was glowing a lot brighter than it was before, though not quite 100%.

"I think there's enough here for her to transform for a few minutes," Lumina opined. "But won't this machine allow us to talk to her without Voidica needing to use it?" She paused, then blushed. "Er, sorry, I'm not much of a tech expert, hah hah..."

"She doesn't need to transform, but I do need it to awaken that dormant part of her brain," Tails explained, grabbing the gem. "It's sleeping unless that thing is used, right? And since we're not using its power on a physical form, theoretically, it should last longer." He then handed it back over to Voidica. "I need you to activate that thing and focus on just your mind as I activate the machine. If this works, you'll fall asleep and you'll meet Ultraviolet. Got it?"

"Um... OK," Voidica said, holding the gem in her hands. She hopped up onto the chair (Lumina giving her a boost) and dropped the helmet onto her head. Surprisingly, it managed to fit her rather well. She looked down at the Limit Gem and activated it; consciously letting it affect only her mind and nothing else. She thought about asking Lily for help after this was said and done; it seemed this is what meditation was supposed to do.

"Good luck, Voidica!" Lumina cheered, giving her friend a sideways peace sign.

Running to his computer, Tails opened a new tab so the decryption process on Chi wouldn't cease. "Fingers crossed," he said while activating a new program. A line of green text appeared in the screen's black void.

 _PROCESSING..._

"This is the translation program?" Homura asked.

"Yup."

"S-So, when do I fall asleep?" Voidica asked Tails. The transformation this time was rather slow; partly due to her trying to affect only one part of her body, and also due to her inexpertise at it.

Lumina zipped over to the computer, peeping over Homura and Tails' shoulders by making a hard light block beneath her. She wondered if Voidica's thoughts were appearing on the computer.

 _CONNECTION COMPLETE._

Just then, a line of blue text appeared.

 _S-SO, WHEN DO I FALL ASLEEP?_

"We're set. Activating the Nighty-Night protcol," Tails announced before pressing the Enter button.

With the button pressed, Voidica could sense herself losing consciousness. It didn't take long for Voidica to drop into dreamland, and as she did so, the now dim Limit Gem slipped from her hands and dropped to the floor. It didn't matter, though - it did what it needed to.

 _SO NO-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ_

 _ **W... WHAT? WHY IS EVERYTHING DARK NOW? LUMINA? MADOKA? ANYONE?**_

It didn't take much effort to work out which thought belonged to whom, but by a happy coincidence, Ultraviolet's thoughts were written with gold letters, against the plain white used for Voidica's.

Tails laughed happily. "Hahaha! It works! A total success, as predicted!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands. "Now all we gotta do is have these two individual consciousness streams converge..." He began to type away, improving the computer's signal to the brain.

"I don't know what that means in the slightest, but whatever works!" Lumina shrugged, happy to see... well, OK, read the two's first meeting with each other. Before long, the printouts started popping up again.

 _H-HELLO? ARE YOU M-MISS ULTRAVIOLET?_

 _ **"MISS"? WELL, YES... BUT WHO ARE YOU? WHERE AM I?**_

 _I... MY NAME'S VOIDICA, AND YOU'RE... ER, WE'RE ASLEEP. THAT'S WHY EVERYTHING'S BLACK... I THINK._

 _ **VOIDICA? WAIT...**_

Suddenly, a pink printout appeared under the gold letters of Ultraviolet's thoughts.

 _ **[JUST... ALLOW YOUR OTHER PERSONALITY TO COME BACK FOR NOW...]**_

Lumina immediately recognised who had said that, and she was willing to bet good money Homura would know in the span of a heartbeat. The gold returned as the two conversed again:

 _ **DOES THAT MEAN... YOU'RE...**_

 _Y-YES. S-SORRY ABOUT ALL THIS..._

"If things get hostile, you can shut it down, right?" Homura asked Tails, tilting her head at him.

"Of course. It's never happened before, but there is this theory that one stream in this state can possibly consume and destroy the other if it wishes. I can't let that happen."

Homura looked back at the computer. "I'm pretty sure none of them would act like that."

"Homura's right!" Lumina said, pumping her fist up in the air. "They're both Elementals - we'd never try and kill one another for no reason! There's no such thing as a bad Elemental!" As she said that, she paused, and grumbled once she remembered something.

A massive, unapologetic git of a something.

"Well... these two aren't," she added, puffing up her cheek. "Besides, the time limit would probably run out long before that could happen, anyway."

"Perhaps. Still, we should keep a close eye on the progress," Tails said, still observing the screen as more text went by. "So far, the connection is stable... let's hope it keeps that way." he continued to input more commands in the computer to maintain a steady link.

 _ **WELL... TRUTH BE TOLD, I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE IN MY HEAD.**_

 _ME NEITHER. W-WHAT DO YOU LOOK LIKE? IF WE'RE DREAMING, WE SHOULD B-BE ABLE TO SHOW EACH OTHER WHAT WE LOOK LIKE, RIGHT?_

 _ **HMM... LET ME TRY.**_

A large number of bizarre symbols and characters flooded the screen. It was like an ancient webpage attempting to render a broken, long-gone picture using only text. It was enough to shock Tails out of his seat. "I didn't expect that to happen!" he exclaimed, the odd output given by the computer causing his heart to skip a small beat.

 _W-W-WOW! YOU LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL, MISS ULTRAVIOLET!_

 _ **YOU DON'T NEED TO BE SO FORMAL, YOU KNOW.**_

 _S-SORRY, I, I JUST WANT TO BE POLITE._

 _ **OH, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. NOW, TRY IMAGINING YOURSELF.**_

Another flood of characters appeared. Yep, an upgrade to the brainwave output seemed like something for the to-do list.

 _ **OH... OH, WOW... YOU DON'T JUST SOUND LIKE ME, YOU ALSO LOOK LIKE ME, BUT WITH ALL THE COLOUR GONE...**_

 _W-WELL, I AM A VOID ELEMENTAL..._

 _ **...DID YOU SAY... VOID?**_

Lumina cocked her head. "Void...?" she asked. "What does being a Void Elemental mean to her?"

Homura looked back down at her, giving her the classic head tilt. "Are Void Elementals an abnormality or...?"

"Not exactly," Lumina explained. "They're... well, they _were_ rather rare, but no more abnormal than almost any other Elemental." She turned her head to the screen, curious over why Ultraviolet reacted this way.

 _Y-YES, I SAID I WAS A VOID ELEMENTAL... WELL, MY MAGIC CORE'S PARTIALLY PURE MAGIC, TOO._

After this, several minutes passed, with no response from either party. It was a long, long while before a gold printout came up; Ultraviola must have been thinking to herself a lot.

 _ **...HOW AM I ABLE TO APPEAR EVERYWHERE?**_

 _T-THERE'S THIS THING CALLED A LIMIT GEM. A-APARRANTLY, IT GIVES YOU POWERS FROM YOUR PAST, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT._

 _ **OH... OH, NO NO NO NO NO... THE VOID LAKE... THE PAIN, THE FEAR, THE MONSTER... I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE... I SHOULD BE DEAD. BUT I'M NOT...**_

"Void Lake...? Monster...?" Lumina whispered. She had no idea what Ultraviolet was talking about, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Wait, so not even you know about this Void Lake?" Homura nudged Lumina.

"Well, not everyone knows everything about their planet," Tails reasoned, "I bet you don't know everything about your world." Homura simply hummed in a small fit of reluctant acceptance.

Lumina rocked back and forth on her heels, dread coarsing through her head. "T-True, I never left Pax Elixia once Shade and I were brought there after we were born... b-besides, it was so long ago, I doubt I'd find this area on Enchantus today." Her gaze darted back and forth between Voidica and the computer like a swallow undergoing a pacer test. "B-But, why is she saying she should be dead?!" Her answer made itself known via the next few printouts.

 _ **don't you remember? the burning, ceaseless agony?**_

 _N-NO. NOT AT ALL. THE EARLIEST THING I CAN REMEMBER IS WASHING UP ON A BEACH._

 _ **no... i must have... lost... memory... the pain... that horrible... horrible-**_

Suddenly, a deluge of glitched and broken characters substituting unknown images cascaded down the computer screen, but just as quickly disappeared - as if it had never appeared to begin with. Lumina's eyes were starting to water, her chest tightening, her stomach churning and turning in sickening ways. She opened her mouth, but only silence came out.

"...Okay, I think things are going out of control, we might have to pull the plug for now!" Tails spluttered in a panic, noticing the glitchy text. He continued to type, desperately trying to make sense of it all. Alas, all he was getting were more blinks of broken characters before they vanished from view. "...Hot damn, what's going on in that head of hers?!"

Mercifully, it seemed as if the time limit was reaching its end, even if the plug wasn't pulled.

 _ **i'M goIng... my miNd...**_

 _M-MISS ULTRAVIOLET... P-PLEASE DON'T BE MAD THAT I'M HERE..._

 _ **No... evERyTHING'S fINE. y-YoU know EverYone far morE thAN I ever will. I-I-_it may #s well be y00r b_dy now...**_

A long pause happened, broken only by a single grey prompt as Voidica slowly began to wake up.

 _I'M... I'M SORRY FOR WHAT HAPPENED..._

Wiping his brow, Tails saved the recorded text for reference and minimized the tab, shutting down the program. "At least I didn't have to use the Alarm Clock protocol. Waking up someone so suddenly after an experience like that would be bound to give you a headache..." With that said, he got up from his seat and went over to Voidica.

Lumina hugged Voidica as she slid off the chair. The poor girl was all too happy to receive one after all that. "Oh, what was I thinking... why did I agree to do this?!" Lumina lamented, dropping to her knees. "Are you OK? Please tell me you're OK..."

"I'm... I'm fine," Voidica woozily replied. She blinked a couple of times to regain her bearings. Then she turned to Tails and Homura, and said, "I'm sorry... all I remember of the thoughts she showed me was of her appearance." As Lumina dropped her arms, Voidica held her head in exhaution. "B-But... she said something about a monster, and a lake, and-and and pain, and losing memory. I, I don't know what she meant."

"None of us do," Tails said. "This is something we have to look into more." He then turned to Lumina, and asked, "I don't suppose you have any sort of record regarding your planet and important locations?" He scratched his ear. "It might help us get closer to figuring out what that was all about."

"There might be something in Jessica's Mystiscope, but other than that, the only surviving record of Enchantus before Charn came along - so far as I know, at least - is my memory, and that of the other Elementals," Lumina explained, looking up at Tails. "But like I said, I never went outside of Pax Elixia, so I wouldn't know anything about it."

She stood up and brushed some dust and dirt off her stockings. "Besides, this was all billions and trillions of years ago - who knows if this 'Void Lake' even still exists on Enchantus? I mean, beyond just the passage of time, after Charn took over, he tore off an entire chunk of the planet... feel free to guess what was on it..."

"Th-The Mystiscope seems like our best bet," Voidica said. She giggled, remembering how she'd given it to Jessica when she first came to Enchantus.

"Maybe. When you get the chance, consult Jessica." Tails said. He then turned back to Chi, remembering his original duties. "Now... if you'll excuse me, someone else still needs my attention," the fox said before returning to his computer.

Homura nodded, and simply led the others out.

"OK, we will," Lumina said, turning to follow Homura. "Sorry for having taken up so much of your time."

Voidica picked up her Limit Gem and put it back in her little storage void. She went after Lumina, but spun around on her heel at the last minute. "Oh! T-Thanks for everything, Mister Tails!" she said, waving to the orange Sentinel. "I hope you can fix Mister Chi!"

"Leave it to me. He'll be done before you know it! See ya, you two!" Tails waved.

With that, the Elemental of many secrets left Tails' igloo. As the door closed, Tails looked at the chair. "...To think I'd use you again, huh?" he asked it, not expecting an answer. He then went back to typing away.

Credits:

RP Creators: Failinhearts and Crow the BOOLET

Adaptation writer: Spin Attaxx

Spin Attaxx: Voidica/Ultraviolet, Lumina (The Sorceress of the Stars (original))

Failinhearts: Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica), Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog (Sentinels) (original))

ROLEPLAY LINK


	6. DAILY LIFE: The Guardian's Self-Worth

SSMB Heroes Academy: Resurgence - Episode 48: Dungeons & Dragons & Also Some Despair Too!

DAILY LIFE: The Guardian's Self-Worth

 _Club Penguin - Cove_

At the cove, there were loud sounds of rocks crashing together and smashing apart. Knuckles, his face looking fiercer than usual, had begun a training exercise. There was a massive splash as he lifted up a massive boulder and threw it into the air, before smashing it and causing several more smaller rocks to crash into the ocean. As the echidna landed, he wiped his brow and took a drink of water.

"What am I even doing here...?"

However, Silver happened to be nearby while exploring the island, and upon hearing the loud splash of falling rocks, he decided to investigate. He soon spotted Knuckles, and called out to the echidna. "Hey, Knuckles! I should've guessed it was you causing that noise. Everything okay?" he asked.

Knuckles turned his head towards Silver, not realizing he still had another boulder in the air as he waved to the hedgehog. "Oh, hey Silv," he said, "yeah I'm fine, I'm always fin-"

 _THUMP!_

The boulder slammed down behind him, completely interrupting his line of thought. With furious flames in his eyes, he smashed his fist directly into it, completely shattering it into tiny pebbles. "...Alright, maybe everything isn't okay."

"Clearly..." Silver muttered, while using his powers to move some of the shattered rocks away. He'd seen and heard that Knuckles could be hot-headed, but this seemed different. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked Knuckles. "I'm happy to help if you need it."

"Talk about it? Meh, I don't know. Usually I just smash things until I feel better. But it just isn't working this time..." Knuckles smashed another boulder and shrugged. "Definitely not working this time. I don't know, Silv, it just feels like... I'm a failure as a guardian," he admitted, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"A failure? How so?" Silver asked. He was a little confused as to how Knuckles could think this.

Knuckles shook his head and simply looked towards Silver. "Think about it. I'm meant to be the guardian of the Master Emerald, yet I was tricked by Eggman at least three times, Ix steals it and almost uses it to destroy our world, Shadow's crazy Dark Arms brother nearly uses it to destroy the world while Shadow and I are busy punching each other..." He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Then there's everything _after_ that. Julie and her kind ending up trapped forever in the Twilight Cage after Dr. Finitevus corrupted the Emerald and turned me into that Chaos Demon that nearly destroyed everyone. Wily and Eggman nearly used it to destroy the multiverse. And even now, I'm stuck here on this island while Angel Island is left exposed with so many Mobians on it because of Eggman's attacks on the main planet. How many times do you have to cause trouble, fail your friends and family, and hurt those around you until you realize that you're a failure?!" Knuckles finished, before smashing another rock.

Silver had to think for a moment. This was a lot of information to take in, but eventually he figured out a response. "Hey, just because you've had some close calls doesn't make you a failure," he replied. "Sure, you may have lost the Master Emerald a couple times, but no matter the odds, you've always managed to get it back. A failure wouldn't have even tried to do that." He snapped his fingers as a recent success popped into his memory. "You say you're a failure because you let the doctors take the Emerald, but you also used that knowledge to bring us straight to them! Thanks to you, we had enough time to get the upper hand!"

"That may be true," Knuckles grumbled, "but it doesn't change the fact that what remains of the Echidnas is trapped in the Twilight Cage, Naugus is still trying to gain the Master Emerald's power for himself, and Mobians are still trapped on Angel Island until we can stop whatever plan Eggman's up to on the planet below. I thought it was bad enough having Lien-Da hate my guts, and now Shade and the others probably hate me as well. We were in the Cage once, and it makes Eggman's old Robotropolis look like Knothole." He punched the palm of his hand to try and let loose some tension, but it was little more effective than punching rocks had been. "I don't know, it just feels like I could be doing more to help, not just sitting here punching rocks."

Silver pondered for a minute. He admittedly was unfamiliar with the likes of the Twilight Cage, but he knew how dangerous Naugus could become, especially if he obtained the Master Emerald. Knuckles' situation was definitely a tricky one to solve. Still, the optimistic hedgehog didn't let that get him down.

"I'll admit, it sounds like a tough situation," he replied. "But you shouldn't doubt yourself. Given how many threats there are just on our world alone, I'd say you've done the best job a guardian can possibly do!" Silver then gave a hopeful smile. "Don't forget, you've got us to help you out, too. I'm sure that together, we'll find a way to save the other echidnas, and stop Eggman and Naugus for good!" he proclaimed, with a clear sense of confidence in his voice.

Silver wasn't the only Mobian who happened to be around on the beach. Princess Sally Acorn was close by, and overheard Knuckles' confession of self-pity. Her natural curiosity getting the better of her, she followed the sound of the voices to find out what was going on. It wasn't long before she found the pair, and asked them, "Is everything okay?"

"We were just talking about... some of the last accidents that happened back home," Knuckles matter-of-factly said, one fist clenched. "Stuff like Ix and the Nocturne, Naugus, Lien-Da... Julie..." His fist tightened up, and he launched a flaming uppercut onto another rock. "Still, Silver's optimism, it's contagious."

Looking over to Silver, Sally just couldn't help but smile. "So I've heard," she replied. An aura of naïvety and innocence simply just radiated off of him! "But why do you want to rescue the Echidnas in the Nocturne?" she asked the hot-blooded echidna, not quite making sense of the story. From what she was told about the adventure, the Nocturne was home to an ancient rival tribe of Knuckles'. "Don't most of them hate your guts?"

"Oh, they do. But I'm still the guardian of Angel Island. My duties extend far past the Knuckles Clan, and I want to help every echidna that I can. Besides, you know I have history with Shade, and especially Julie. I can't just leave them trapped inside of that awful place."

Sally nodded in response. It was a noble cause Knuckles had decided to take, even if many of the people he wanted to save were his enemies. She wondered if maybe that would even improve the relationship between them. "...You also mentioned someone else. Naugus," the princess recalled. It had been some time since Sally last heard of that freak, ever since she left for the Skylands with Sonic. "What about him?"

Knuckles looked down at the sand, somewhat angry, and somewhat sad. "That's right. I don't think Amy or I ever told you or Sonic. Heh, we probably should have sooner. Naugus wanted the Master Emerald a while back. He wanted to abuse its power so he could reattain his magic. Amy and me... we both managed to stop him, but he disguised himself as a long lost echidna named Nixus."

He took a seat on one of the many rock fragments he'd made; Silver even used psychokinesis to smoth the surface out for him. "I don't know Sally, I guess it just reminded me of the first time I met Julie-Su. It felt like I wasn't alone. I knew it was fake, but I held hope that maybe, just maybe, I _did_ find another long lost Echidna, one who knew what it was like to be alone."

"So he tried to play to your optimistic side?" Silver asked, before sighing out of pity. "And here I thought Naugus couldn't get any worse..." he quietly muttered, though he hesitated to say much more. In truth, all this talk of Naugus had reminded Silver of another time, when he and the Secret Freedom Fighters tried to stop him from controlling Mobotropolis from the inside.

Looking down at the sand, Sally thought back to her own history with the wizard. "It wouldn't be the first time he tried something like that. Back long ago, he disguised himself to my Freedom Fighters and myself as my father, the King. He tricked Sonic into rescuing him from the Special Zone, and then tried to steal my kingdom for himself." Knowing he tricked them all so easily, it hurt her to even think about it. "I'd have never guessed he'd do such a thing; all I wanted was my father back. Even when it was so clear he wasn't my father, I just couldn't face the truth..."

And yet, hearing of these recent events, learning how they aligned in similar ways... Sally couldn't help but see a funny side to it all. "I'm starting to think, Knuckles," she said, rubbing her chin with a little smile, "that we really can be similar in more ways than we think." Holding up a fist in determination, she added, "That's why, if Naugus tries to go after the Master Emerald again, I will, along with my Freedom Fighters, do everything we can to help! I will not allow this tricky wizard to continue these evil deeds!"

"You can count on me, too!" Silver chimed in with a grin. "If something comes up, I'm not going to let Naugus get away again!"

Knuckles cracked a small smile after hearing his friends' determined vows. "Thanks Sally, that means a lot," he said, giving the princess a thumbs up. "You too Silver. Maybe it's _not_ too late for an old Guardian like me to fix my mistakes."

"Old guardian?" Sally chuckled. "Come on, you're only a year older than me..."

"Well yeah, but... I've been a Guardian since the day I was born, so it totally counts!" Knuckles exclaimed. "Besides, it makes me sound a little wiser..."

Credits:

RP Creators: Failinhearts & Crow the BOOLET

Adaptation writer: Spin Attaxx

Ryannumber1gamer: Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog)

NegaMetallix: Silver the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Polkadi~ : Sally Acorn (Sonic the Hedgehog)


	7. DAILY LIFE: Red Saber, Blue Fish

DAILY LIFE: One Sword, Two Spears, Red Saber, Blue Fish

 _Club Penguin - Forest_

"So... uh, what do you do for fun, anyway?" Undyne asked Red Saber, the two of them conversing together in the midst of the forest. The two had unexpectedly encountered each other while pursuing their own interests; Undyne had unexpectedly missed a date with her friend Alphys, and with little else better to do now, she tried to strike up a conversation with the strange girl.

"You speak of recreation?" Saber asked. "Ah, I do adore to spend my time upon a stage in front of an admiring audience. Be it acting in a play, singing or even showing my talents in combat," she proudly proclaimed with a big smile on her face. "...However, I do enjoy solitude sometimes, such as taking a long relaxing bath to rejuvenate the body and mind."

"Hey, I can get behind that," Undyne said. "And not just because I'm a fish, either!" she swiftly added with a hearty chortle. "But you're a fighter with a talent for the stage, hm? You know, I may not look it, but I'm a pretty skilled percussionist. Pianos and guitars are my forte! I was even part of a musical once, all about one of my past escapades!"

Saber's curiosity was piqued. "Oh? And what happened in this historical play, may I ask?"

"I… er…"

Memories of a whole song sequence devoted to her inability to defeat a harmless child, only to be saved by that same child from something as mundane as dehydration, spilled back into Undyne's head. That, and the large number of people who saw it - saw her humiliation - on live television.

"W-well, all you need to know is that I was the strongest under the land, and I never got beaten once! Certainly not in some pathetic way ill-fitting of a proud warrior like me!" Deep down, she thought to herself, Urgh, the next time I see that fancy-pants tincan, I'm gonna 'politely request' a smidge of creative control over his scripts!

"I'll take your word for it," Saber said with a smile. Undyne couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if she saw straight through her. Fortunately for her pride, Saber decided to change the subject; "But that isn't where your main passion lies, is it? You seem to enjoy living these battles, instead of recreating them." Seeing the opportunity for a learning experience, a mischievous grin appeared across Saber's face as her sword appeared in her hand. "I must admit, I do have a desire to pit your spear against my blade," she said, taking a fighting stance.

Undyne smirked back. "You know it!" she replied, still standing upright. "That said, though..." Surprising Saber, rather than readying her spear, she dispersed it. Was she hard-headed enough to fight bare handed? That was when Saber heard an odd sound, one that sounded like the ground was gargling. Suddenly, a half circle of spears popped out from behind Undyne.

"Let's just say, you mean my spears, plural!" Undyne boasted, a spear even larger than the ones she summoned forming in her hand. "Time to see if you're as good, if not a better sparring mate than Nightwing!" she said, taking her stance. She twirled the spear she was holding in a defensive manner, but the spears around her seemed as aching for battle as she was.

Saber showed no fear of the spears that shot out of the ground; if anything, she was excited about it. As the spears charged towards her, she showed her skills with the blade in what could be described as a sword dance, deflecting each one with swift strikes.

"I stand ready. Show me the might of warriors from worlds beyond even my knowledge!"

The birds nesting in the trees, recognising what was about to happen, decided to pack up and wait for the ghastly business to blow over. Loud sounds of metal clanging against metal heralded a large flock flying out to somewhere more quiet.

Credits:

RP Creators: Failinhearts & Crow the BOOLET

Adaptation writer: Spin Attaxx

JokerJovahexeonJoranvexeon: Undyne (Undertale)

-dan-: Red Saber/Nero (Fate/Extra)


	8. DAILY LIFE: An Awkward First Date

DAILY LIFE: An Awkward First Date

 _Club Penguin - Path_

During Toko Fukawa's walk to try and clear her head, she had stumbled onto Hero Prinny, who (for reasons only known to him) started following the Ultimate Writing Prodigy around, much to her annoyance. She tried to ignore him as much as she possibly could, but he, regrettably, didn't. The two eventually stopped by a bench, upon which Tron Bonne and Mikan Tsumiki were sleeping.

"Hey, idiot nurse! What are you doing sleeping outside in the cold?" Toko loudly proclaimed, poking the two girls on the forehead to get them to wake up. "Aren't you supposed to be aware of all the health issues you could get from doing that?"

Mikan stirred slightly, and mumbled, "Aah, I'm... sorry... I'm sorry... I'm... sorry..." Toko sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I'm surrounded by idiots..." she muttered to herself. Overhearing her, Hero Prinny added a profound comment of his own.

"Heh, yeah. Idiots... dood."

"Are you still here?! Get lost, I'm not babysitting some stupid-looking penguin reject!" At that moment, she noticed an unusually large flock of birds flying away from the forest. "Go join them for all I care," she growled, pointing towards the flock, "in fact, I hope they think you're a statue for them to do their disgusting business all over!"

"...You really remind me of my Master, dood. You even sound a little like her too, it's uncanny. Dood."

"What idiots?" asked a third, unfamiliar voice. Turning around, Hero Prinny screamed in terror - both at the sound of the voice, and the fact that it came from Cloud Strife. Or, as he was known to Hero Prinny at that moment, a rather muscular young man with large spiky hair and an even larger sword on his back.

"YAAAH! I-I-I wasn't talking a-about anyone specific... dood." He hadn't yet seen Tron at her worst, but was mostly worried about Cloud and his very sudden appearance, as well as the large sword visible on his back. Thinking about being on the receiving end of it made being a pidgeon's restroom more appealing by comparison. Toko, unlike the strange penguin-like being, was more annoyed than afraid.

"Gotta say, you're a lot braver than that Bomberman guy when it comes to dissing Tron," Cloud said, showing the faintest hint of a smirk. "Also, pretty sure that's the _third_ girl here that's reminded you of your master."

Toko couldn't be bothered to deal with this strange Prinny wearing a scarf. Instead, she turned back to Mikan, who was starting to come around.

"...Err... T-Toko? ...Prinny? W-W-What was I...?" It seemed her memories were a little foggy, too, but it wasn't long before her partner started coming around as well.

"Mmmmrgh," Tron mumbled sleepily. "Buzz off, miss Ultimate Fanfiction Writer..."

Hearing that remark, something in Toko snapped, and as she snarled and grinded her teeth, she might have done something drastic had Cloud not intervened.

"I think she's the Ultimate _Writing Prodigy_ , not Fanfic Writer, Tron," he interjected. But he'd seen some of Toko's portfolio before in the Library, and having read... _certain_ parts of it, he had to wonder if there was much difference between the two.

"Huh, I never would've pictured you as much of a book reader, blondie..." Toko muttered, calming down.

"O-oh", Tron said, blushing somewhat as she shook herself awake. "Oh right, it's you", she said, eying Toko. "No need to worry about us, I brought a coat and earmuffs anyway... Uh, Mikan, I'm a bit new to the dating scene. Are dates supposed to be this public?"

Tron's question caught Toko off-guard, and her attitude shifted from her usual grouchy, antisocial self, to something else entirely. "...You two... were on a date? Heeheehee...ah, I see. Been up all night ' _gettin' busy,_ ' have you?" Thinking of the two, she started drooling creepily.

Hero Prinny was a little disturbed by her sudden attitude shift. He started to very slowly back away from Toko. "Master Etna never acts like that, dood..."

"Y-You mean you don't k-know either, Tron? Y-You're my first... after all..." Mikan admitted, blushing. Her choice of words made Toko giggle even more; the contents of her imagination were best left only to herself, lest the foolhardy see something man was never meant to.

"T-Toko? Y-Your face is all red and you're burning up!?" Mikan exclaimed, noticing Toko's bizarre demeanor. "You seem to be breathing heavily too, are you okay? Y-You don't have a fever, do you?!" Mikan didn't get a reasonable reply; all she got from Toko was another absent minded giggle, with a large, mischievous grin.

"Heeheeheehee..."

Credits:

RP Creators: Failinhearts & Crow the BOOLET

Adaptation writer: Spin Attaxx

-dan-: Toko Fukawa (Danganronpa), Hero Prinny (Disgaea), Mikan Tsumiki (Super Danganronpa 2)

JokerJovahexeonJoranvexeon: Tron Bonne (Mega Man Legends), Cloud Strife (Fnal Fantasy VII)


	9. PROLOGUE: Let The Game Begin!

PROLOGUE: Let The Game Begin!

In the EPF HQ, Nicole the Holo-Lynx quietly hummed a little MIDI file to herself as she opened a small cardboard box and scattered its contents across the large table. The only other ones present were Ragna the Bloodedge, who had just arrived in search for a quiet place, Celestia Ludenberg, quietly sipping a cup of rose tea, and Alter-Ego, who watched Nicole in fascination.

"Um… just what are you doing over there?" Ragna asked, awkwardly trying to start a conversation.

"It appears she's setting up some sort of game," Alter-Ego replied. "It seems familiar, but I can't put my finger on it."

Hearing her small audience, Nicole chuckled to herself. "It should be familiar, it's a classic tabletop game," she stated, looking over the game she set up. "...A rip-off of the classic game, maybe... but a classic game nonetheless." Continuing to set up, small holographic figures appeared on the table. There were monsters and odd beasts, but also what looked like blank mannequins holding up white rods for weapons.

"Those are the players," Nicole explained. "When a player joins, the pieces will form the body of that player, but suited to fit the world!"

"Sounds fun to me!" Alter-Ego chirped. Though Celeste seemed interested enough in the game to take a seat nearby, Ragna wasn't quite so enthusiastic.

"I see… I don't quite get it, but you do you." Leaving Nicole to set up her little game, he went to take a seat, but was surprised to see a certain sleepyhead lying in several chairs in front of him, drool pouring out her mouth. Chiaki Nanami… when did she even get here? Ragna didn't see her walk in, and she certainly wasn't there when he came in…

"Hey, this isn't a bed! Get up!" he said, poking Chiaki to get her awake. But she didn't even seem aware of Ragna's presence at all. Grumbling in defeat, he took a seat elsewhere.

Overhearing Ragna's interaction, Alter-Ego noticed Chiaki himself. "W-Wha?! Sis?! When did you get here?!" he exclaimed. Deep down, he thought to himself, Is… she really the Ultimate Ninja, just disguised as the Ultimate Gamer?

A.E.'s words finally got Chiaki to wake up. "Huh? Alter?"

While Nicole placed a deck of cards down on the table, she nearly scattered it all when Ragna slammed his head down on the desk hard. "Oh for crying out loud, that's the thing that wakes you up?!" he shouted.

Chiaki ignored him and said, "I wanted to check up on missions here, but everything seems fine in the Multiverse. But reading the map made me sleepy..." She thought of said map, in all its vastness, before conking out once again, falling off the chairs she was lying on.

"God, get it together, you," Ragna growled, getting up to pick Chiaki off the floor. Sitting her down in just one chair, he let the snoozing girl slump over onto the desk. She didn't seem to mind, or even notice, as she snored up a storm. Just the usual for her.

"You get used to it," A.E. said, laughing sheepishly. "Trust me, Father had a real hard time trying to wake her up sometimes."

"I've never met anyone who slept so much before," Ragna said, "I think she's even lazier than Tao." Taking the opportunity to start a conversation, he asked, "So, what's up?" Sitting back down, he kept an eye on Chiaki to make sure she didn't fall out of her seat again.

The A.I. somberly looked down, the memories of what happened (or rather, what didn't happen) during Valentine's still fresh in his digital heart. "N-Nothing much…"

Nicole placed down a few more figurines, before turning around to the screen. Noticing A.E.'s solemn face, she said, "T o experience such an emotion does not come from nothing. There will be no pain in telling us what's on your mind."

The holographic body of Nicole disassembled block by block, and showed up again inside the computer, as the holo-lynx continued to slowly approach the A.I., acting careful so as to not to worry or pressure him.

"You know what I feel. Put the pieces together," Alter-Ego replied to her. In a huff, he simply folded his arms. Having to experience this over and over again was becoming more of a pain.

"...You had no romantic partner to spend Valentine's Day with, correct?"

"Y-You could say that," A.E. replied, rubbing his arm with a sigh. "Is this what organics feel? Relapses? You just feel the same thing over and over ? It's tiring. .."

The conversation managed to get through to Chiaki again, who stirred herself up once more. "Mhm… it's nice to have feelings, you know," she mumbled, smiling towards her brother. "Even if you don't understand them, it's a great thing to have."

"I know... I understand them, but… there are some emotions I just don't want."

Nicole looked out of the monitor, and back towards the table. Despite Chiaki taking up a chunk of space, her game was now set up. A massive board sprawled about the table, with little figurines upon it, a small sheet to fill at every seat, and one twenty-sided die ready to go. Maybe this could help cheer her friend up…

"Alter-Ego, would you please sound out an announcement about this game?" she asked, approaching the A.I. "I know there will be some students who would love to play it!" The holo-lynx looked awfully enthusiastic; she couldn't wait to play, and maybe teach the other Skylanders some new tricks too!

Alter-Ego looked up, snapping out of his sad state. "O-Oh? Okay..." He replied. Closing his eyes, his image on the screen vanished as he proceeded to do the announcement.

"Calling all Skylanders! Come to the Command Room to play a special game together!"

Credits:

RP Creators: Failinhearts & Crow the BOOLET

Original episode writer: Polkadi~

Adaptation writer: Spin Attaxx

Polkadi~ : Nicole the Holo-Lynx (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Failinhearts: Alter-Ego (Danganronpa)

Crow the BOOLET: Celestia Ludenberg (Danganronpa), Ragna the Bloodedge (BlazBlue), Chiaki Nanami (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)


	10. CHAPTER ONE: A Hero's Call To The Table!

CHAPTER ONE: A Hero's Call… To The Table

"Hm? What is it?" Jessica asked, stopped on her way back to her castle by Lumina and Voidica.

"Um, I wanted to ask you something," Voidica said, rocking on her heels. But before she could do so, Alter-Ego's announcement sounded out across the island.

 _"Calling all Skylanders! Come to the Command Room to play a special game together!"_

"...oh, a game? That sounds fun!" Voidica said, smiling. Though several billions of years old, she was still mentally an eight year old, and the idea of playing a game with friends was enough to divert her attention immediately. "You should come along too, Jessica!"

" Eh , I dunno if I'll be interested," Jessica replied. "Won't Lumina be more fun to be with, anyway?"

Lumina was about to say something, but stopped. She glanced down at her watch and smacked her forehead. "Gaaah, I totally forgot I have a show to do soon!" Sighing, she turned to Voidica. "Sorry, looks like I'll have to sit this one out. What about you, Jessica? I'm sure you and Voidica will get along great!"

Seeing Voidica's eager little smile and big wide eyes caused Jessica to relent. "OK, OK, I'll play this game with you," she sighed, standing up and stretching her limbs. "But what about that question you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, that can wait!" Voidica said, bouncing up and down in excitement. "Come on, let's go, let's go!" Lumina was relieved to see her acting like her usual self - the poor girl needed something to take her mind off of recent events. Besides, she was perfectly fine with putting off asking about this for a while. Preferably a long while. Surely not knowing one way or the other was better than a probable confirmation of her worst fears?

Hearing the announcement, Shuichi woke up from his nap with Kaede. "A board game, huh? Maybe I should go…" he said, standing up. Kaede was rather surprised to see this from him.

"Shuichi... you willingly want to go to something like that?" she asked, sitting back up. On her head was her friend's usual baseball cap, something she'd earlier put on to help him with a depressive episode.

Shuichi smiled and nodded. "Yeah. But, the thing is… I'm doing this by myself."

"Really?" Kaede blinked in surprise at his statement. Was what she hearing really true?! She couldn't believe it!

"Y-Yeah... I need to be more confident in myself. With how much care you've been giving me, I know, at least for a bit, that I'm... worth it. I need to believe that more."

Kaede grinned in relief. Reaching up for the hat on her head, she chuckled, "Guess you'll need this, then." But the surprises kept coming when Shuichi's hand reached out to stop it.

Shaking his head, he said, "No, I don't." Smiling, he added, "At least, not for this. I think I'm a little used to it, anyway. Take care of it for me, though, okay?"

"Alright," Kaede replied, putting her hand down. At least, not before giving the boy detective a friendly push. "Now go get 'em, Shuichi!" she chirped, giving him a confident arm pump.

"I will." With that, Shuichi ran downstairs.

Wondering what the game could be, Aspen turned to make his way to the Command Room. Nearby, Katii had heard the announcement as well.

"A game huh?" Katii, tilting her head slightly as her tail twitched curiously. "Hm, this I gotta see. I could go for a few games." She stretched as she moved herself off of her pole. As odd as it sounded, Katii couldn't turn down a game night, whether it be a board game or some gambling. Plus, hey, there might be some snacks there, too! Katii made her way to the HQ, hoping to herself that she wouldn't get too excited if she won any money, real or fake.

Meanwhile, Tenyew began to notice a few Skylanders heading towards the HQ after the announcement. After watching them depart, she shrugged and grabbed her cloak. The grim reaper wasn't one for social gatherings, but she had to do something that day. Something that could get her mind off of work. Turning to her pet cerberus puppy, who was currently eating out of three bowls for each head, Tenyew smiled a bit.

"I'll be back, Spot," Tenyew waved at her demon canine, "Don't tear things up while I'm gone..."

At the Coffee Shop, Kirumi Tojo was getting Ragna's espresso ready, whilst staying out of Kirby's sight. The little rascal had already raided as much food as he could find in the shop, and now he was even eating entire mugs of coffee. The announcement echoed across the shop, attracting Kirumi attention. "A game, huh?" She did notice she had to clean up the place, however, and it would bother her the entire day if she skipped out on it. She noticed Lusamine leaving the Coffee Shop, and asked her, "Are you going to the Command Room?"

"Why yes, actually, why?" Lusamine replied. Watching Kirumi finish the espresso, the Ultimate Maid handed it to her.

"Please take this to Ragna the Bloodedge. He's probably been waiting a while for it."

Lusamine nodded as she took Kirumi's request. Espresso in hand, she left the Coffee Shop and made her way to the Command Room.

As Kirumi grabbed a broom, Kirby turned towards her, the announcement's meaning completely going over his head. He recognised what Kirumi was holding, and what her intent with it was. To say "thank you" for the delicious meal, Kirby wanted to help clean up, so he approached Kirumi and gently tugged on her dress to get her attention.

"Yahaa!" he said to her, while tapping himself with his tiny fingerless hand and an expression of determination on his face. He stepped forward with his back towards Kirumi and inhaled as much as he could within the Coffee Shop. Everything, from dirty mugs, used spoons, spilt liquid, to even a light bulb, espresso machine, and a resident penguin, all flew into Kirby's mouth. He jiggled with a full mouth, now standing almost twice his original height, thanks to the content he had eaten. Even so, he didn't show any discomfort, although he jiggled violently for a second as the penguin managed to escape from his mouth and flee the Coffee Shop, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Kirumi didn't know what to say after watching that scene play out. "Just what was that…?" She didn't know who or what Kirby was, she was just baffled by the empty Coffee Shop. "...looks like I have to bother Byakuya to get more silverware and cups." Her cleanup duties fulfilled (in a sense), Kirumi headed out to purchase replacement items for the place.

Swallowing what he'd inhaled, Kirby found himself with the Spark ability, having eaten a lot of electrical equipment. Noticing Kirumi leave, and totally oblivious to his "help" having created more work for the maid, he followed after her several paces behind.

In the Command Room, the first player to arrive hopped out of the elevator. It was Kyubey, who ran up to the table as fast as his little paws could carry him. "Alllright! Someone say games? I like games!" he said, rubbing his ear flaps together eagerly.

Next to arrive were the Naegi siblings, Makoto and Komaru - the latter of whom fidgeted uncomfortably, her mind abuzz with concern for Toko.

Waiting for the other players, Alter-Ego uploaded himself to his android body and walked up to those already gathered. Ragna was flipping through the rule book, clearly baffled by its contents, but remained pretty patient. "Hey, how do we really play, anyway? I don't really get these rules."

Nicole watched Ragna try to make sense of the rules, before she just took the book off him. "Leave it to me to explain along the way. It takes lots of study to understand the whole thing naturally," the AI replied, knowing that the game wasn't quite the easiest to understand. Nevertheless, the lynx stepped over to her seat as Game Master, awaiting more players to join in.

And as if on cue, the next player was a conspicuously capless Shuichi. "H-Hello, everyone..." he greeted, with a nervous but strangely confident smile.

Shuichi certainly seemed different to Nicole, but she couldn't quite figure out how. After a while, though, she believed she figured it out: "Shuichi, did you get a haircut?" His hair did look a little different, especially with the one stray lock stuck up in the air. And the next arrivals noticed it immediately.

"M-Mister Shuichi!" Voidica gasped, looking up at his ahoge. "Y-You've got an antennae!"

"I, uh... I don't think that's what that is," Jessica remarked, taking a seat at the table. She wasn't expecting a tabletop game… but she still felt like she should give it a shot.

"You could say it's kinda like that?" Shuichi chuckled. "But my hair has always been like this. Ever since I was born, I've had this..."

"Hey , hey! Me and Makoto have that too!" Komaru smiled, pointing back and forth between her brother and herself. "Same for Kaede!"

"Yeah... I can see that."

Kyubey slammed a paw on the desk, noticing what was different about Shuichi. "Dude! Your hat!" he said, pointing at Shuichi with his other front paw. "You lost it or somethin', you never leave without it!"

Shuichi chuckled softly, and said, "Kaede's taking care of it." Sitting down, he flattened his ahoge so as to not look strange to everyone else, but once all pressure was removed, it popped right back up. Voidica couldn't help but giggle at Shuichi's expense - Lumina had a similar problem with the distinctive pair of quiffs on top of her head.

The elevator sounded again, and two people fresh from the Coffee Shop stepped out. One was Jack Atlas, who simply sipped his coffee and took a seat. One would think he was sitting down to play poker, with his expressionless face. The other was Lusamine, who first made her way over to Ragna's seat.

"As promised, your drink," she said, placing it down in front of Ragna. He thanked her as she took her own seat. "So, what are we playing tonight?" she asked, peering over the board. "I haven't done anything like this in a long while…" Her question received no answer, as another arrival brought the conversation back to Shuichi.

"Hey, your hat's gone!" Katii said, pointing out the obvious as she walked out of the elevator. "It's actually a good look for you. You can't go wrong with the... hair sticking up thingy!"

Walking next to Katii was Tenyew, who couldn't help but stare at Shuichi's ahoge with fascination, causing her to rub her own head. She couldn't help but wonder how she would look with a long strand of hair sticking up from her head.

"S-Seriously, guys... I just took my hat off. It's no big deal," Shuichi muttered. He drummed his fingers anxiously against the table; the unwanted attention getting to him even as he tried brushing it off. But he needed their attention to be elsewhere. So it was fortunate that a distraction came pouncing out the elevator with aplomb.

"Did someone say gaaaaaaaaaames?!" sang Star Butterfly, who slid down to the table while making a flashy rainbow trail with her wand (for little reason other than to show off).

Her best friend, Marco Diaz, was far more subdued by comparison, but was still eager to play this game. However, he thought Star's shadow seemed off somehow as he caught it in the corner of his eye. Or was that just a trick of the light thanks to Star's rainbow trail spontaneously combusting?

...actually, yeah, it's probably just that.

As Star grabbed everyone's attention with her entrance, Jack noticed Shuichi's unease with the attention he'd been getting. Easing off on the questioning, he decided to respect Shuichi's clear desire to change and simply passed him the rule book. "We're playing this game, it'll be more challenging if everyone's on the same page," he explained.

"Ah, thank you," Shuichi nodded in acknowledgement. He reached out to adjust his…Oh. Right, he realised. Old habits die hard… He flicked through the book, reading it carefully and taking in how the game worked.

"I look forward to playing this game with you," Jack said, sitting back down. Well now, there was something unexpected from him. The elevator doors opened again, now revealing Knuckles (who calmly took his own seat), Alisa, Noire, Hero Prinny, Toko and a sleepy Mikan.

"Uni wanted to come, but she seemed tired from the previous mission," Noire said as she joined the others. "I told her to get some rest." Hero Prinny took a seat, but he seemed more interested in relaxing than understanding how the game worked.

Toko moved reluctantly out of the elevator, a sense of shame looming over her yet she couldn't clearly remember why. Trying to disregard those feelings for now, she stepped out and took a look at her surroundings. "...Really? A game? Don't we have better things to do with our time?" Toko grumbled, being as blunt as ever. "...Though I suspect that hideous lump Hifumi would love this crap."

"Toko! There you are! Oh, I'm so happy!" Komaru exclaimed with glee, running up to Toko and putting the writer into a tight embrace. All dread and sadness on Komaru's end easily washed away.

"Huh? Ah!" Toko exclaimed as she got the killer glomp. "H-He y, settle down Komaru. What's gotten into you? I mean… if this game means so much to you, then I guess I'll give it a try..." She seemed to misread Komaru's emotional reaction, yet despite her confusion, she still returned her embrace with one of her own.

"Yeah... Yeah..." Komaru said, wiping her eyes as she lead Toko to the playing field. "Let's play together, okay?" The two sat together, and while Toko looked for the role book, she was baffled by who had it.

"Who's this guy? Is he new?" Toko asked Komaru, pointing to Shuichi.

"Oh, that's Shuichi without his hat! He looks good without it, don't you think?"

"I never noticed how much of a pretty boy he is… the pianist should keep him wearing that hat, or the other girls will totally go for him," Toko said while winking and nudging Komaru. The writer made sure her voice was heard by everybody and a familiar mischievous smile was across her face.

Poor Shuichi groaned and buried his head in the book. People just couldn't let this slide, could they? "C-Can we just... play already?!"

Fortunately for the boy, Nicole was now ready herself. Calling out to the present Skylanders, she instructed, "Please fill out your character forms to choose your class and create your character, then we may begin."

Credits:

RP Creators: Failinhearts & Crow the BOOLET

Original episode writer: Polkadi~

Adaptation writer: Spin Attaxx

Spin Attaxx: Jessica Powell, Lumina, Voidica (The Sorceress of the Stars (original)), Star Butterfly, Marco Diaz (Star vs. the Forces of Evil)

Failinhearts: Shuichi Saihara, Kaede Akamatsu (New Danganronpa V3), Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica/The Disciples), Makoto Naegi, Alter-Ego (Danganronpa), Komaru Naegi (Danganronpa: Ultra Despair Girls)

Emperor Robrainiac: Aspen, Katii, Tenyew (original)

Crow the BOOLET: Kirumi Tojo (New Danganronpa V3), Lusamine (Pokémon), Ragna the Bloodedge (BlazBlue), Jack Atlas (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)

-dan-: Kirby (Kirby), Alisa Illinichina Amiella (God Eater), Noire (Hyperdimension Neptunia), Hero Prinny (Disgaea), Toko Fukawa (Danganronpa), Mikan Tsumiki (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)

Polkadi~ : Nicole (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Ryannumber1gamer: Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog)


	11. CHAPTER TWO: Select Your Character

CHAPTER TWO: Select Your Character

Jessica looked down at the forms. "Oh, so this is a role playing game?" she asked. "I've never played one that wasn't a video game before..." Scanning the paper, she took a look at the class list. Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Warlock, Rogue, Monk, Ranger, Fighter, Paladin, Sorcerer, and Wizard, each with their own sets of advantages and disadvantages.

 _Hang on, aren't those last two the same?_ she thought, before shrugging and going for the Sorceress class.

"Oooooh, I know how this works! I know what I'm gonna be!" Star giddily exclaimed, speeding through the process as fast as she could.

"Just remember, Star - it's all just a game," Marco said, turning his attention back to the table. "I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time we played something like this."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I won't pull out my wand the next time someone cries out, 'Goblin attack!'" Star muttered, scribbling away with one hand. "Aaaaand... Paladin!" she declared, leaning back in her seat.

"So, which one's the Chaotic Evil class?" whispered a conniving voice in her ear. Star almost fell on her backside as she jumped up in fright. Turning around, she saw a familiar shadowy creature snickering madly behind her chair. It was Shade - who, as Marco noticed, had even bothered to bring that stupid black crown of his to the event.

"At least he's in the spirit of things," Marco quietly sighed. He wondered how long Shade could last before he tried backstabbing the party just for a laugh.

Noticing the newcomer, Lusamine started examining Shade from every angle with gleeful curiosity. "Oh, what's this? It looks like a Crobat! It can talk too! What kind of Pokémon is this!?"

"U-Um, m-miss, that's not a 'Pokuh-mon'," Voidica pointed out, not really knowing who Lusamine was, or even what a Pokémon was. "H-He's an Elemental, like me!"

Shade, meanwhile, seemed totally ignorant towards Lusamine's eager curiosity and scanned the class list. His eyes fell on Warlock. Yes, that seemed like the most villainous option he could take. So of course, he did. Lusamine childishly pouted over Shade's dismissal of her, before suddenly taking an interest in Voidica.

"Oh? What are Elementals, anyway?" she asked, picking up Voidica and examining her with equal enthusiasm, poking at her as if she were a child's doll. "Are they always as cute as you two? Do you have different types? Can people train you? Do they all not have fingernails like you?"

"M-Miss..." Voidica grumbled, getting very annoyed with Lusamine's lack of regard for personal space. As she curiously plucked off the Elemental's shoes and prodded her some more ("Do you _really_ all not have toes? Are you ticklish?"), Lusamine felt someone prodding her in the back. A particularly miffed someone.

"You know there's something else going on now, right?" Jessica asked, glaring at sharply at Lusamine. That seemed to snap her back to reality, as with nothing more than a casual, "Oh, oops, I forgot," she dropped Voidica back in her seat and scribbled in her form as fast as possible.

"...she's a weirdo," Voidica whispered, staring distrustfully at Lusamine while Jessica slipped her shoes back on and helped her fill out her own character sheet.

The other Skylanders picked their own classes, based on what they liked, knew, or were good at. Some, like Katii, were unsure of which class to use, and so Nicole would helpfully give them advice. Eventually, the full list of classes were assigned, and displayed helpfully on a monitor:

 **Clerics:** Kyubey, Lusamine, Mikan

 **Fighters:** Aspen, Knuckles, Ragna

 **Monks:** Jack, Marco

 **Paladins:** Alisa, Makoto, Star

 **Rangers:** Chiaki, Noire

 **Rogues:** Alter-Ego, Katii, Shuichi

 **Sorcerers:** Celes, Jessica, Toko

 **Warlocks:** Hero Prinny, Shade

 **Wizards:** Komaru, Tenyew, Voidica

Once everyone had chosen their class, small figures appeared on the board. Each one resembled the gathered players, but wore attire appropriate to their respective class. Tenyew's figure, for instance, wore a long robe befitting a Wizard, Jack's had a gi with little to no armour as a Monk, and Shade's closer resembled a flying spiked helmet than Shade himself.

Nicole couldn't help but smile as she watched her game come to life. The power of this Command Room gave her so many more abilities to use! "Shall we begin, adventurers?" she asked the Skylanders sitting around the table.

"YES! YES YES YES YES YESYESYESYAAAASSS!" Star sang, rapping her knuckles in anticipation as she bounced up and down in her seat. It was nice to see someone getting so into the spirit of things. However, unbeknownst to everyone, a small camera peeked out of the portal to the Box Dimension, the headquarters for their unwanted broadcaster, L.O.G. It turned its gaze to the table, and the gathered Skylanders.

"THE-SKYLANDERS-ARE-BEGINNING-THE-GAME," echoed the emotionless voice of Monodam. With his extendable arms, he was using the camera to watch the Skylanders in the Command Room while remaining inside the Box Dimension. He wasn't alone there, either; his father and fellow Monokubs were present, as were L.O.G.'s subordinates, Lord Chen and General Teddie.

"They're starting now?" Monotaro asked. "That's great! Now I can make Papa proud!"

Monophanie sighed. "Monotaro, how many times do I have to remind you; we…" Before she could finish her point, she stopped herself. The usually scatterbrained and forgetful Monotaro, for once, actually remembered something! The half-pink bear ran around the Box Dimension in a state of panic.

"AAAAAH!" she screamed as high as her voicebox allowed, "MONOTARO REMEMBERED SOMETHING! IT'S A SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE! NOW I'M GONNA BE MEAN AND LOVE VIOLENCE, AND MONOKID'S NOT GONNA BE AN ASSHOLE ANYMORE, AND OH NO I JUST SWORE, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE, AAAAAAH!"

"Yeesh, what's her problem?" Monotaro asked as his sister ran into a tower of boxes, which toppled onto her and seemingly smacked some sense back into her. "All I had to do was tie this ribbon to my arm!" he said, showing it off to his facepalming brothers.

"Aww, my little cub is finally growing up!" Monokuma cheered, clapping his small paws together. But one bear was far from pleased with the scene, as he tapped his mitten-like hands against his big head.

"Chen, please," General Teddie whined, "remind me _why_ we allowed these cretins in here?!"

"Can you shut it already?" the minifigure replied. "The boss was cool with it, you know that!"

"That's what concerns me the most…" As General Teddie sat slumped in his chair, he heard the Monokubs recite their plan amongst themselves once more.

"Okay okay, here's the plan!" Monotaro began, eagerly holding up two shurikens. "We go in, we ninja-kick the damn rabbit, then we use whatever funny items we find there to take the Skylanders down!"

"Ugh, the first time he remembers his role as leader and comes up with a plan, and it's something that's lame and don't make any sense!" Monophanie grumbled. Quickly realising how unusually rude she was, she exclaimed, "OH NO, IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN, I MUST SAVE MYSELF!" and tore the ribbon off Monotaro's arm.

"Huh...what's up with all the recolours?" Monotaro asked, looking at his siblings in total confusion. "Or all these boxes? Were we doing something?"

Monokuma sighed and slumped down onto his plush rump. "Kids, just leave the planning to your ol' pappy Monokuma, OK?" he told the group as he connected a wire from a small socket in his red eye to Monodam's head. Now, he could see whatever the camera saw, and therefore plan as the situation demanded…

The lights in the HQ began to dim, as the holographic display of a castle appeared on the board.

"Welcome, adventurers," Nicole began, "to the Sky Lands of... Um... Somewhere...? Err…" Taking advantage of the systems Alter-Ego often used to affect his voice, Nicole made her own voice sound mystical and grand.

"Anyways, this is a peaceful land filled with hope, especially thanks to Prince Miles, who helps to keep the peace of these lands!" The castle on the board began to disappear, the peaceful and hopeful atmosphere of it lost when a new structure appeared; a sinister-looking tower that radiated evil, clearly a sign of bad news.

"But someone wishes to disturb that peace. The master of chaos, the destroyer of worlds, the guy who stole a raspberry pie from the bakery yesterday... It's the Despair Lord Kuma! To break the flow of hope, he has kidnapped Prince Miles, and is preparing to unleash his terror upon the world from his Tower of Despair!"

The tower disappears, and the figures of the Skylanders appear, standing in a forest. There they stood, waiting for their command. "Here, we follow our misfit band of adventurers, deciding what they shall do. They stand in a forest that looks as if it will go for miles, but to the east lies a humble little town. And to the north, they see the Tower of Despair off in the distance, reaching into the sky as it's terrifying dark magic pulses from the top."

The lights came back on, the journey ready to begin. With a smile, Nicole asked the Skylanders, "So, adventurers... _**What will you do first?**_ "

Credits:

RP Creators: Failinhearts & Crow the BOOLET

Original episode writer: Polkadi~

Adaptation writer: Spin Attaxx

Spin Attaxx: Jessica Powell, Voidica, Shade (The Sorceress of the Stars (original)), Star Butterfly, Marco Diaz (Star vs. the Forces of Evil)

Crow the BOOLET: Lusamine (Pokémon)

Polkadi~ : Nicole (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Failinhearts: Monodam (Danganronpa V3), Monokuma (Danganronpa), General Teddie (Persona 4 Arena), Master Chen (Ninjago)

Ryannumber1gamer: Monotaro, Monophanie (Danganronpa V3)


End file.
